Thursday, October 29, 2009

Thoughts from IGBC Plenary Session 1: Leadership in Green Buildings

Speakers:

Dr Arab Hoballah
Chief of Sustinable Consumption and Production Branch, Division of Technology , Industry and Economics, UNEP

Ms Maria Atkinson
Global Head of Sustainability
Lend Lease

Mr Ira Magaziner
Chairman, Clinton Climate Initiative.


Mr Ira Magaziner stated that if we look back at Kyoto Commitments and G 8 commitments ,the percentage of those commitments that are fulfilled are pretty dismal.Hence what maybe more useful and relevant could be more  more financing mechanism like those of Clinton Climate Initiative.

However, wouldn't it be right to say that carbon trading ( or the Clean Development Mechanism) is a form of financing mechanism?Yet again, as pointed out Ms Maria, only 14 out of 4500 CDM projects are related to building efficiency.  This is despite the facts that building efficiency projects are:
which are cost effective, time effective and have big reductions in GHG.
Afterall,
  • Buildings are responsible for 40% for Global energy use,
  • Cities are responsible at 80% of GHG
  • 50% cuts in GHG by 2020 is possible using current skills and technologies.

 .

Why? Why does energy efficiency projects form such a small percentage of CDM projects?
Is it that the rate of return of buildings is simply too long as compared to other CDM projects like replacing of oil with natural gas as fuel  or landfill gas conversion etc?  Or is it simply that building efficiency project is more suitable for developed countries instead of developing countries which may have less older buildings due to upgrades. CDM  only allows for developing countries in Annex I to trade their carbon emissions redutions.

Is that why?


Have a good day!  
Marcus Tay Guan Hock / 郑源福

"My life is my message "

Mohandas Gandhi
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